Ceiling construction



July 28, 1931. M, VENZIE 1,816,450

CEILING CONSTRUCTION Filed May 17, 1950 Patented July 28, 1931 1 UNITED, STATES rimnnmcx M. VENZ'IE," or rHILADELrH A, rE Ns Lv Nia f- CEILIN coNs'rRUc'rIoN Application filed May 17, 1930.. Serial No. 453,141.

This invention, generally stated, relatesto. building structures and has more especial relation to a novel form of ceiling construction in which plaster blocks, "slabs, or tiles '5' are employed. v i I As commonly practiced in theplasterers trade pre-castplaster blocks, slabs or tiles when once positioned in a ceiling construction form apermanent partthereof and 1-0 should access to the space thereabove be desirable, for instance, to inspect wiring, pipes or the like, it becomesnecessary to tear down one or more complete blocks, slabs or tiles which whenso removed are useless for re placement. These blocks, slabs, or tiles are relatively large and more or less expensive, and in case a'number thereof are required to be removed it is apparent that the building costs are appreciably increased.

One object of the present invention isto overcome these disadvantages and provide a novel form of: ceiling construction inwhich pre-cast blocks,fslabs or tiles may be taken down and replaced'at' will without destroy- I ing'tlieusefulness of the same.

' A further ob'ect f the present invention is to provide a construction of this kind which ceiling units'may be cheaply manu facturedat a central plant and shipped for 39 erection, and which unitsmay be expeditiously put up and taken down byunskilled I labor. i I A still further object of the-present invention is to provide a pre-cast bloclgslab or 35 tile for erection and replacement purposes so arranged that the means for attachment to and removal from 'a channel iron are hidden fromfview when'the unitis in its normal functioning P08117101}.

$9 Astill further bject of the present vention isto provide a ceiling unit of the character stated in which in its normal functioning position ithas "the appearance of a conventionalplaster block, slab or tile yet 5 whichmay be readily removed without d estroyingthe ceilingstructure or'unit itself. Otherand further objects of the present invention reside in the provision of general dc tails of-constructi'on and in the arrangement, 0 combination, and connectionofparts for) at tainingthe resultssoughtbythe foregoing objects."

With these 'andstillother objects view-,.

as will hereinafter appear, theQinventiOncon- SISlJS of the novel construction and arrange V ment of parts as will hereinafter more fully appear; y 7

The nature, characteristic features and;

scope'of the invention will'be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying Y drawings forming part hereof, and in which: Fig. 1 is a view in horizontal section of a ceiling'construction embodying theinvention and illustrating several pre-cast blocks, slabs, "or tiles in normal functioning position; a e 5 Fig. 2 isa fragmentary view 'in section illustrating the manner of" disengaging one of the blocks, slabs, or tiles. from the osition disclosedin Fig. 1-;. i i

Fig. 3 is atop or plan view of one of the blocks, slabs,-or tiles shown in Fig. 1 in de-. tached position; p

Fig, 4' is a view in. section taken upon the line i -4 of Fig; 3;

A Fig. 5 is a top or'plan'view of one of the latching devices shown inFigs. to 4 in detached position A Fig. 6 is a fragmentary View in section illustrating a'pre-cast block, slab or tile of solid construction in lieu --of the hollowed type shown in the foregoingfigures;

Fig. 7 "'s 'a top or plan view of the key shown in Fig; 4:;and 7 v i H FigJS is a fragmentary view in section illustrating a modified form of key.

For .the purpose of illustratingmy inventionT-have shown inthe accompanying drawingsforms thereof. which are atpresent preferred by me, sinceithe same havebeen found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that thevarious instrumentalities of which my invention consists can bevariously arranged and organized and'that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization ofthe instrumentalities as hereinshown and described.

Referring now tothe drawings in "detail,

the reference numeral 10 designates a floor of concrete anchored in which are straps 11 for supporting channel irons 12. Suspended from the channel irons 12 by means of hangers 13 are other channel irons 14 which are arranged at right angles to the channel irons 12, see Fig. 1. The present invention has to deal with means for suspending from the channel irons 14 a ceiling structure of the type comprising a plurality of pre-cast blocks, slabs or tiles of cementitious material which in position form the finished ceiling and are not designed to receive a finishing coat of plaster. Each slab is of quite large dimension and relatively expensive, particularly when it must be discarded because as commonly practiced in the plasterers trade it is necessary to break a block, slab, or tile awayfrom adjacent units to permit inspection of wiring or pipes below the floor 10. According to the present inventionI precast blocks, slabs, or tiles of cementitious material at a central plant and ship to desired location for detachable connection to the channel irons l4'so that the said blocks, slabs,

, or tiles may be readily installed and detached by unskilled labor. The blocks, slabs, or tiles 15, as shown inFigs. 1, 2, and 3, are 1101- lowed out at 16 to provide an air space for sound deadening purposes and have marginal ledges 17 with vertically arranged openings 18 therethrough, see Fig. 4, for the insertion therethrough of a key for a purpose to presently appear. Fixed upon the ledge 17 of each block, slab or tile at each of the four corners thereof by means of screws 19 is a thin, fiat plate 20, best seen in Fig. 3. Mounted upon each plate 20 for at least par tial rotation around its vertical axis is a finger 21 having a hooked terminal 22 and a base plate 23 having swivelled relation at 24, see Fig. 4, with the plate 20. The swivelled portion of each base plate 23 is apertured in alignment with the apertured part 18 of a block, slab or tile, see Fig. 4, to receive the end of a removable key best seen in Figs. 2, 4, and 7. The key comprises a handle: 25 and shank 26, which latter is preferably of hexagonal cross section to cooperatively engage with the opening through the swivelledpart of the base plate 23, whereby the base'plate 23 and its finger 21 may be shifted" a out a vertical axis to cause the hooked terminal 22 to engage or be disengaged from a channel iron'14. Thus, a workman, standing upon a scaffold beneath a ceilmg being erected, positions a block, slab or tile betweenadjacent channel irons 14 and introducesthe above described key through the various openings 18 in the blocks, slabs or tiles to engage the hexagonal openings in the swivelled base plates and by a slight twist of the wrist causes the fingers one at a time to engage over the tops of the channel irons 14. In the connection it is to be noted that the fingers of the blocks, slabs or tiles are arranged in staggered relation so that the fingers of adjacent blocks, slabs or tiles do not overlap one another when positioned as shown in Fig. 1. Obviously to remove one or more blocks, slabs, or tiles from the position shown in Fig. 1, the workman merely introduces his key through the various apertures before described to disengage the hooked ends of the fingers from the channel irons 14, whereupon the blocks, slabs or tiles are free to be lowered. Should it be desired I may provide the outer end of a key with a spring pressed detent 27, as shown in Fig. 8, so that in case a block, slab or tile sticks in trying to remove the same the key may be pushed further up through the aperture in the base plate 28 until the spring pressed detent assumes the position shown in Fig. 8, whereupon downward pull of the key causes dislodgment of the block, slab or tile. Obviously if desired the'top of the key may be provided with screw threads to engage screw threads in the aperture of a base plate, or other forms of keys may be employed to cause disengagement of tight fitting blocks, slabs, or tiles, the important feature, however, being to provide a'key for moving the hooked end of a finger from a channel iron 14. The blocks, slabs, or tiles 15 may be of solid cross section as shown in Fig. 6 if desired instead of hollowed out as shown in the other figures, and the blocks, slabs, or tiles may be reinforced or not as'desired.

'What I claim is:

1. In a ceiling construction apair of suitably supported channel irons, a pre-cast ceiling .unit of cementitious material arranged therebeneath and spanning the channel irons, said unit having arranged upon its upper face opposed, substantially hook-like members movable about their vertical axes for engagement with said channel irons to removably suspend said units, said units and members being apertured in vertical alignment to accommodate a removable tool to secure shifting of said hook-like members.

- 2. In a ceilingconstruction a pair of suitably supported channel irons, a rectangular shaped pre-cast ceiling unit of cementitious material arranged therebeneath and spanning the channel irons, said unit having arranged upon its upper face adjacent its respective corners opposed, substantially hooklike membersmovable about their vertical axes for engagement with said channel irons to removably suspend said units, said units and members being apertured in vertical irons, said unit having arranged upon its Iii upper face opposed, substantially hook-like swivelled members movable about their vertical axes for engagement withsaid channel irons to removably suspend said units, said units and members being apertured in vertical alignment to accommodate a removable tool to secure shifting of said hook-like members.

4. In a ceiling construction a pair of suit- I ably supported channel irons, a pre-cast ceil- I lng unit of cementitious material arranged therebeneath and spannlng the channel Irons,

said unit having arranged upon its upper face opposed, substantially hook like members arranged in staggered relation and movable about their vertical axes for engagement With said channel irons to removably suspend said units, said units and members being apertured in vertical alignment to accommodate .a removable tool to secure shifting of said hook-like members.

5. In a ceiling construction a pair of suitably supported channel irons, a pre-cast ceiling unit of cementitious material arranged therebeneath and spanning the channel irons, said unit having arranged upon its upper face opposed, substantially hook-like members movable about their vertical axes for engagement with said channel irons to re movably suspend said units, a metal base detachably secured to said unit for supporting each hook-like member in swivelled relation, said units and members being apertured in vertical alignment to accommodate a removable tool to secure shifting of said hook-like members.

' FREDERICK M. VENZIE. 

